With Healthcare Reform Slowing, Should You Continue to Wait In Pain?

In past week, healthcare reform went from a done deal to a dead end on Capital Hill. As the realities of this massive political overhaul played out, the Obama Administration was forced to slow down and wait until after the Congressional August recess to get back to the legislative process on healthcare reform.
 
Many political pundits see this public derailment as Obama’s first real defeat as President. This certainly does not mean that healthcare reform will not happen in the near future, but it does raise the potential.  
 
As more stakeholders learn about the various reform ideas being considered by the democrats, they are beginning to fear the personal sacrifices they may be required to make to create a more government-centric plan.
 
As this national debate continues, what does it mean for the thousands of people that are suffering in debilitating pain without the appropriate insurance to cover a surgical procedure that would improve their condition. Even if healthcare reform is passed before the end of the year, how long will it take before these people can have their surgeries?
 
There is a more immediate solution to consider rather than hoping and waiting for healthcare reform to relieve ones pain and it called “medical tourism.” Simply defined, medical tourism, or medical travel is the act of traveling to a foreign country to obtain medical treatment. The uninsured and underinsured have been traveling many years now to escape the high cost of care in the U.S.
 
Many medical procedures outside the U.S. are a mere fraction of the cost. Take for example a hip replacement, which for many people means the difference between walking or not. In several countries like Malaysia, India, or Thailand this procedure ranges in prices from $12,000 to $15,000, which even includes the flights and all other travel essentials. 
 
As our national health care reform legislation slows, it is important to know that you still have viable options for immediate and affordable solutions for care.